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The food inspiration post

It has been quite a while since I last posted about the foods that we enjoy around here. Actually, it was more than three weeks ago that I posted the last recipe. We have cooked, baked and improvised a lot since then, so I cannot fit all the recipes in one post. What I can do though, is post pictures and offer you some foodie inspiration, along with a few fast and simple instructions. Enjoy!

Dark chocolate cookies

They taste great with coffee or almond milk.

Thumb print cookies

Vegan cookies are sooo easy to make! I have to admit that every time I made a batch, I ate half of it within one hour. I really struggled to save some for N., as they melt in such a heavenly way in a cup of coffee. I think I used this recipe or a similar one (just google simple vegan sugar cookies). The thumb print cookies have the exact same dough, but I added some raspberry jam in the thumb print, before baking. I also added tons of spices, like nutmeg, clove and cinnamon in other versions.

Mashed potatoes with sauerkraut

This was a fast and easy dish to make. I have to admit that the mashed potatoes are made of potato flakes mixed with almond milk and margarine. The rest of the dish is button mushrooms with bell peppers and sauerkraut. I just mixed everything in the wok with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. It tasted great.

Split peas soup with soy sausages

Even though we try to avoid soy, every once in a while a soy sausage is just what you need to transform a regular soup into a hearty dish. This was a split peas soup with lots of onions, garlic, olive oil and I think there were a couple of potatoes in there as well.

Vegan sushi

Then, one day we decided to experiment with the fish-free “tuna” from the Vegetarische Slager (those of you in the Netherlands can find their products in Eco Plaza). This thing tastes like tuna. It really does! We cooked the rice with tons of lemon, nutmeg and dill and we shredded some radishes as well. We also added some avocado in the sushi rolls. The little bowl has soy sauce in it.

EDIT: A friend (thanks Mia!) just told me the the fish-free tuna is not vegan as it contains melkeiwit (milk protein). She told me that half the Vegetarische Slager products are vegan but the rest are vegetarian. Well, at least I updated you quite fast, right?

Fava

After the sushi, it was time for a traditional Greek food to balance things a bit, so we made fava. It is basically a thick paste made of boiled yellow peas of some sort. The general idea is that you soak the peas overnight and then you boil them for about 45-60′ with an onion and olive oil. They will become creamy, but if you are not pleased with the texture, you can also blend them. This will give an even creamier result. We did not blend our fava and it was still great. Save some onion to decorate and sprinkle with fresh olive oil and spices of your choice (oregano and thyme are great).

Light spinach pasta

This is a twist of the usual aglio olio pasta (that is the only vegan choice in soooo many restaurants). After heating the olive oil with the garlic slices, just add some frozen spinach and a few cherry tomatoes, until they are warm. Top up the pasta and you are done. Plus, you get a lot of iron and calcium!

Sunny oatmeal

We have been eating oatmeal for breakfast for the last 2-3 weeks every day. To keep it interesting, we add all sorts of seeds, fruits and nut butters in there. This one has goji berries, chia seeds, raisins, walnuts, almond milk, cinnamon, a tablespoon cashew butter, a fresh banana and a fresh persimmon. Persimmons are great in smoothies as well and are rich in vitamin C and fiber, while they contain zero fat. This makes them a great fruit to snack on if you are on a diet.

Roasted potatoes with carrots, onions and red cabbage

Some days I am lazy. Those days I indulge in the pre-cut veggies section of the grocery store. There I fund grated carrot and chopped up onions and red cabbage. So I threw all of that with those cute little potatoes in the oven. I mixed with some olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme and baked for about 50′. I kept them covered the first 40′ and then cooked another 10′ uncovered to allow the potatoes to form a golden crust.

The other great discovery of these days has been that if you steam kale for a few minutes and serve with lemon and olive oil, it tastes exactly like the Greek “chorta” that we cannot find in the Netherlands.

One note on the cookies: Yes, homemade cookies do not have preservatives and other artificial additives. They do not contain soy and they do not contain high fructose corn syrup. BUT they do contain tons of sugar and they will make you fat and they will give you a sugar rush. Is it worth it? Yes! Have them as a treat every once in a while, but don’t make it a daily habit. You have been warned.